The French electricity transmission system is taking an important step in the energy transition by connecting the Fécamp offshore wind farm to the national grid.
Key infrastructure to deliver electricity from offshore wind turbines
RTE, the electricity transmission system operator, has just made available to the producer the first of the two electrical links needed to transport the electricity produced at sea to the mainland. This is the culmination of three years of work to connect the first offshore wind farm in Normandy.
The connection work for the Fécamp offshore wind farm consists of the creation of a double 225,000 volt electrical link, 18 km underwater and 32 km underground. It also consists of enlarging the Sainneville-sur-Seine substation and reinforcing the 225,000 volt network to Le Havre. These infrastructures are necessary to bring to the continent the electricity that will soon be produced by offshore wind turbines.
The first of the two electrical links is ready to receive electricity from the future Fécamp offshore wind farm, while the second should be ready by summer. This major step is proof that the energy transition is already underway. Normandy is making a major contribution to the development of offshore wind energy in France. The 5 projects currently underway in Normandy represent 4 GW, i.e. 10% of France’s ambition for offshore wind power, set at 40 GW in 2050.
The RTE connection project: an emblematic project for the energy transition
The RTE connection project crosses 21 municipalities, which makes it an emblematic project in terms of its scale, but also in terms of the dialogue that has been established with the elected officials and inhabitants of the area throughout the three years of construction. RTE has always wanted to give the region the opportunity to play a part in the project and to do everything possible to ensure that the project benefits local players. In this way, 26,000 hours of work are carried out by people who are far from employment and 26 million euros are invested directly by RTE in Normandy.
RTE, which manages electricity flows and the balance between production and consumption in real time, maintains and develops the high and extra-high voltage network, which includes nearly 100,000 kilometers of overhead lines, 7,000 kilometers of underground lines, 2,900 electrical substations in operation or co-operation and 51 cross-border lines. The French network, the most extensive in Europe, is interconnected with 33 countries.
As a neutral and independent industrial operator of the energy transition, RTE optimizes and transforms its network to connect electricity production facilities whatever the future energy choices. RTE, through its expertise and reports, informs the choices made by public authorities.
Thanks to RTE’s work, Normandy is making a major contribution to the development of offshore wind power and to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. As an industrial operator of the energy transition, RTE is a key player in the implementation of a sustainable and resilient energy system for the future.
